Screen adaptations of 'The Wizard of Oz'

'Wizard of Oz' | 1925

Silent Movie Theatre

This scene from the 1925 silent film "Wizard of Oz" shows actor/director Larry Sermon as the Scarecrow quieting down the Cowardly Lion, played by Spencer Bell. The earliest surviving adaptation of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was also a silent film. It can be seen in full here.

This scene from the 1925 silent film "Wizard of Oz" shows actor/director Larry Sermon as the Scarecrow quieting down the Cowardly Lion, played by Spencer Bell. The earliest surviving adaptation of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" was also a silent film. It can be seen in full here. (Silent Movie Theatre)

MGM's 1939 rendition is still the book's most popular adaptation. With a young Judy Garland at the helm as Dorothy, "The Wizard of Oz" went on to receive six Academy Award nominations. The ruby red slippers that Dorothy dons near the end of the feature are the most expensive piece of movie memorabilia, worth an estimated $3 million.

MGM's 1939 rendition is still the book's most popular adaptation. With a young Judy Garland at the helm as Dorothy, "The Wizard of Oz" went on to receive six Academy Award nominations. The ruby red slippers that Dorothy dons near the end of the feature are the most expensive piece of movie memorabilia, worth an estimated $3 million. (Turner Entertainment / Warner Bros.)

The beloved children's book "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" inspired many adaptations with its whimsical tale about a Kansas farm girl and her unlikely friends. Here's a look at some of the movies that have retold author L. Frank Baum's story.